On the Blog – Page 4

Preschool at home: letter activities

May 4, 2015
Our preschool at home adventure has been going well so far. As I mentioned before, I’m trying to keep it low-key and low-pressure. Charlie spends most of his day playing, as it should be. Official “school time” only happens for maaaybe half an hour 3 or 4 times a week.

With that said, Charlie really likes doing school. And I really enjoy it too. When it comes to planning I’m finding it works best for me to plan out about 10 days worth of activities all in one sitting. This means I only plan for school about once every 3 or 4 weeks.

One of the things we’ve been focusing a lot on lately has been the letters of the alphabet. My goal right now is for Charlie to recognize and name all the upper and lowercase letters and begin to learn some of the sounds associated with them. He was already picking up on a lot of the letter names just though osmosis, so our school time is really just reinforcing and filling in the gaps. I fully intend to do another round (or two) of “letter of the day” type lessons farther down the road to go along with a greater emphasis on phonics and handwriting. Right now it’s just about recognition and exposure.

I’ve found a few resources that we’ve been using over and over. They make planning activities easy and Charlie really seems to enjoy doing them.

Letter Activities
- Do-A-Dot letter printables: Charlie’s really been into Do-A-Dot crafts and I can see his control and coordination in using the markers improving the more we do these activities. I love these letter and picture sheets from The Measured Mom, and these upper and lowercase sheets from Confessions of a Homeschooler.
- Alphabet books: To help reinforce the letter sounds, we’ve been using these alphabet books from The Measured Mom. I’ve found that they give really good examples (with clear pictures!) of words that start with each letter. I’ve been wanting to give Charlie opportunities to practice using scissors, so rather than print it out as a book as intended, I’ve been printing them all on one page to create small picture cards. I draw lines between each picture for Charlie to cut on and then we use the pictures to either glue to a collage or save for a letter sorting activity.
- Letter sorting: Using our pictures from the alphabet books, I would read to Charlie the word on each card (exaggerating the beginning sound) and have him decide what letter it started with. We started with letters that have very different sounds and will eventually work our way up to more challenging pairs.
- Letter Hunt: Another printable activity from Confessions of a Homeschooler are these letter hunt pages. The funny sentences on each page reinforce the letter sounds and I think it’s good practice to be able to identify a particular letter out of a sea of other letters. Once again we use our Do-A-Dot markers to highlight the letter we are searching for.
- Letter flashcard match: Charlie actually made up this game one day as we were looking at some Dr. Suess letter flashcards we had on hand. As I would hold up a card, he would run to the kitchen to find the matching letter from his set of alphabet magnets on the fridge. It was a fun way to add a bit of movement to an activity that’s usually pretty stationary.
- Letter pre-writing in playdoh: Charlie isn’t quite ready to begin handwriting practice yet, but that doesn’t mean he can’t learn about the shapes of the letters. One activity we’ve tried is pressing beans in playdoh along the outline of a letter. It’s a great little activity to develop those fine motor muscles.
So far these have made up the bulk of our school time together. I’m sure we’ll have to mix it up eventually and find some new activities to teach the letters, but I’ve been really happy with these so far. If you’re looking for more resources for preschool learning activities be sure to follow my pinterest board. I’m always finding great ideas and resources!

Follow Amy’s board Homeschool on Pinterest.
These Days // 17

May 1, 2015
Another week has flown by. Here’s what’s happening these days.

cuddling: a puny baby. Poppy had her 4 month shots this week and has been a bit feverish and tired. I gotta admit though, I’m enjoying the extra long naps.

wearing: a new Apple Watch. I’m officially the owner of more technology than is reasonable. But first impressions are that it’s pretty fun and helpful! I plan on sharing a more thorough review after I’ve spent some time living with it.

eating: Craisins. I let Charlie nibble on a few of these when I was throwing them on top of a salad and he’s been hooked ever since. I like them on crackers with cream cheese. He likes them in a pile on his plate. I can’t decide if this is a good snacking option or not. On the one hand it’s a serving of fruit with vitamins and fiber and antioxidents. On the other hand it has just as much sugar as a serving of cookies. Why are snacks so hard?!!

watching: what we say. Charlie has entered a phase of picking up on all our grumpier phrases and words. This past week we’ve heard him say things like, “Darn it!” and “Gosh!” and “Never, never, never!” Thankfully our language doesn’t get much more colorful than that around here, but having a three year old pick up on all your word choices certainly makes you think a little harder about them.

making: a backyard garden space for Charlie. We took a bare spot in the lawn and made a little brick border and added a couple of old paving stones to give it some boundaries. We plan on planting sunflowers around the edges and maybe adding a couple of other small flowers. Otherwise this will be a place for Charlie to dig to his heart’s content. I’m excited to see what we can grow there this summer.

That’s all for today. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend filled with friends, flowers, and fluffy bunnies.

P.S. Here are some posts from the archives that you may have missed:
Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic

April 27, 2015
For our March pick for the 2015 Reading Challenge, Chris and I decided to read a book from the category “a book published this year.” I chose A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab.

I chose this book because generally speaking I love a good fantasy. Magic, adventure, usually a bit of mystery and suspense. Many of my favorite books of all time are fantasies. But I think it’s important to note that they are all children’s fantasies. I’m often a little wary of more grown up books in this genre because I feel like they tend to include a lot of violence, or sex, or both. I’m not usually interested in including too much of those subjects in my brain space. It’s precious space.

With that said, I recommend A Darker Shade of Magic with reservations. It’s a pretty fascinating story. Four Londons, all with varying shades of magic. One has been consumed and lost to the power of magic, one tries to control magic (and the rest of the city) through force, one enjoys a magic that is in harmony and at peace, and the other has lost all traces of magic. The doors between these worlds were closed long ago and now only a few people are born with enough magical ability to make the journey between worlds. The protagonist of the story, Kell, is one of those rare people. He serves as a courier between the royal families of each London, and the action of the story centers around what happens when a dangerous item from the lost London is allowed to slip through into the other worlds.

Like I said, it’s a fascinating story and I found it hard to put down. I stayed up too late several evenings in a row while reading this. However, it is pretty violent at times. Lots of blood and slashing of throats and bodies being possessed by evil magic and what not. My only other criticism of the book is that I feel like there were several instances where the author made mention of a detail that felt like it was going to be important to the rest of the story, but ended up going nowhere. It was a little frustrating because I could see where the story could go with the detail, and it would have been pretty interesting, but instead it was just dropped. I suppose those loose ends could be leaving the door open for a sequel, but it’s my understanding that it was not published with that in mind. As it was, it just felt a little sloppy.

Overall though it was an enjoyable book, and I’ve officially read as many books as I read in all of last year, so that’s a victory! We’ll be taking a break from the challenge in April so Chris can catch up on his March pick. (The recent biography of Steve Jobs, which turned out to be rather huge.) I have a few books in mind that I might read as extras though, so I’ll be sure to give a report if I do!

2015 Reading Challenge Reviews
- February pick: A book currently on the best-seller list – All the Light we Cannot See
These Days // 16

April 24, 2015

This week has flown by! I’m pretty sure if I hadn’t had to write this post I would have forgotten all of it.

Here’s what’s happening these days…

watching: Charlie and Poppy interact more and more. Charlie, while always kind to his little sister, has always been pretty cautious and hands-off with her. I feel like this week he has finally started to feel a little more comfortable with her, as evidenced by these pictures of the two of them next to each other. Those have been really hard to get up until this week.

making: my favorite spread yet in my Project Life album. Be looking for a post about that in the coming weeks!

cheering: for the racers in the soap box derby. Last weekend our town had it’s first coaster car race on main street and we walked down to see the action. It was a lovely spring day and a fun little outing. Charlie was a bit disappointed that he couldn’t ride in the cars though…

growing: grass in a tiny pot. We got one of those grass growing kits at Target last week and have been watching the little shoots of grass pop up all week. I’m impressed at how fast it’s grown!

loving: how alert and interactive our little girl is getting. Smiles are coming all the time these days, and she’s always trying to add to the conversation with her coos and gurgles and grunts. She can get pretty noisy!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

P.S. Here are some posts from the archives that you may have missed:
1. Parmesan Tilapia – one of our favorite quick and easy weeknight dinners
2. The one where I finally finish up our gallery wall
3. Some good reasons to consider cloth diapering
Blogs I’d recommend to my sisters

April 20, 2015
Even though I don’t really feel like a grown up most of the time, when I look at my life objectively it is decidedly grown up. I’m 30. I have two kids. We own a home and a “family car.” And the majority of the blogs I read reflect the fact that much of my life revolves around my identity as wife and mom. I read about quiet time activities for toddlers and healthy dinners in 20 minutes and organizing cleaning supplies.

I’m also a big sister. And my two little sisters are decidedly hipper and cooler and, well, less mom-like than me. So while many of the blogs I follow would not interest them, there are a couple of blogs I read on a regular basis that I routinely think, “I should share this with my younger, cooler sisters!” But then I never do. So this post is essentially a round up of the things I think my sisters would like to read. (Here you go, sisters!)

1. Yes and Yes

This blog has tons of great posts for women who are just starting out on the whole grown-up thing. From tips on how to make your rental cute on the cheap, to guides on traveling the world, to how to dress cute in the freezing cold winter (especially helpful for my Chicago sister), this blog talks about all kinds of things that my sisters would be able to relate to. The blog also has a fascinating series called “True Story” in which she interviews people who have experienced interesting or amazing things. It’s answers to all the questions you would like to ask, but feel like would be rude to bring up. It’s a great way to gain a better understanding of the variety of people out there in the world.

Some posts to get you started:
2. The Sugar Box Blog

I am woefully out of touch when it comes to movies and TV and the people who are on those screens. Ask me who my favorite actor and actresses are and I’ll say Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. or Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Because I like Mary Poppins and You’ve Got Mail. Never mind that those movies are 50 and 15 years old.

However, my sisters are much more on top of these things. They actually watch movies every once in a while. And I think they would really enjoy all the fun fangirl posts over at the Sugar Box. This blogger has managed to meld her love of cooking desserts and watching TV into a business, and even with my limited knowledge of which handsome-faced actor is who, I find her posts to be really entertaining, and they’ve given me some good recommendations on what to watch next if I should ever find the time.

Some favorites:
There are probably a few more blogs that would appeal to a younger, hipper woman, but these are my current favs. I hope you like them too!

What about you? Do you have any favorite blogs that you would recommend to your younger sisters? Share in the comments!
These Days // 15

April 17, 2015

Hello, friends. Here’s what’s happening these days…

answering: why? All. Day. Long. It is Charlie’s favorite question. He likes it so much he doesn’t even care what the answer is. Because he’s just going to ask it again. A sample conversation:

Me: Charlie, it’s time to put away your toys.
Him: Why?
Me: Because it’s almost bedtime.
Him: Why?
Me: Because it’s getting dark outside.
Him: Why?
Me: Because the sun goes down at night.
Him: Why?
Me: Because God made it that way.
Him: Why?
Me: God is supposed to be the answer to everything! Can’t you just be satisfied?!

trying: a new routine. We’ve been working on bringing a bit more structure to our days. I started implementing new after-breakfast and after-lunch routines this week and so far it’s been going well. It get us out of our pajamas, give us time for school and play, and builds in a little time for cleaning up the house as well. Somedays that’s all that gets done, but at least it’s something.

learning: more letters. Our new routine has given us a regular school time and Charlie’s been doing so well on learning his letters. Someday soon I plan to do a post sharing all the activities we’ve been doing.

reading: “The Journey” by Mary Oliver. My husband shared it in his newsletter this past week and it left me nodding and murmuring things like, “isn’t that the truth.”

The Journey

by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice—
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do—
determined to save
the only life you could save.

leaving: you with these pictures my husband took, because you can’t have a blog post with out pictures, and I didn’t really take many good ones this week. I feel like they capture life around here so well.

Enjoy your weekend!
Train birthday party

April 15, 2015

I don’t remember a lot of big themed birthday parties as a kid. There was the party at the roller rink, the 8-year-old slumber party, some other small gatherings with cake and games. I also don’t recall ever being disappointed with any of these celebrations. There was cake! There were some happy streamers strewn about! There were presents! I was a happy little girl.

But times have changed, and now every child gets a meticulously planned party from the very beginning. I understand. As parents we want our child’s birthday to feel special, magical even. We love them dearly and don’t they deserve it? But then again, a stressed out mommy does not a happy birthday make. So one must find the balance. Three years in I feel like I’ve hit upon a pretty good balance for me. There is cake! There are happy streamers strewn about! There are presents! And on top of that there may be just a couple of themed activities to match the cake and streamers. And of course, there is a very happy little boy.

This year we had a train themed party. The balance was found with a duplo train set and some nice train car printables.

The cake

I saw some cute examples on pinterest of cupcake trains. I decided that was what I would make without really thinking through the whole turning the cupcakes into train cars part. The day before the party I made the cupcakes (Funfetti, from a box) and realized I should probably figure that part out. I didn’t really want to craft individual train cars from cardboard with ritz cracker wheels so I rummaged around the house to see what I could find. And then I remembered! Charlie got a Duplo train set for Christmas! Cupcakes would fit on that! Easy Peasy. And Charlie loved it. I think he wishes I served all his food on his train now.

The activities

Pin the tail on the donkey is a classic party game. Pin the train on the railroad track is just as exciting. I painted a simple railroad track on a large piece of paper, then printed and cut out these train cars. A piece of tape on each and a blindfold made for a quick and easy game. Charlie wanted to play it twice. Success!

We also did a painting project that I failed to take pictures of. I printed out a train engine and then just cut some paper into smaller rectangles. We painted each rectangle and called it a car for the train. Eventually I’ll find a way to put those on the wall in his room (He still has his abstract car track painting up from last year).

The Caveat

The one thing missing in all these birthday parties is other kids his age. So far all his parties have just been small family affairs. One day I’ll need to get up the nerve to invite other small children over. Hopefully I’ll still be able to maintain the balance when that happens (insert slightly overwhelmed but hopeful emojii here).

Other birthday parties:

1 Year Old – Rainbow Party

2 Years Old – Cars Party
These Days // 14

April 11, 2015

High five for… late Saturday night! Some weeks I just can’t get in a moment to write my Friday posts. This week has been full, but good. Here’s what’s been going on these days:

loving: the warm spring days. They’ve come with a lot of rain as well, but the warm sunshine in-between storms has been worth it. And it’s given us a few good puddles to splash in.

watching: lots of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. When I first heard about this show I was confused. A funny cop show? But it is indeed funny, and about cops. Watching it gives me similar enjoyable feelings as I got from watching The Office back in the day. So if that’s not a recommendation, I don’t know what is.

planting: some flowers in the front flower bed. We got a couple of hyacinths from a friend at church, some violets from my Aunt Barbara’s funeral, and then I tried transplanting a few irises from the side of the house. I’m interested to see if any of these things live.

celebrating: Easter! We kept it pretty low key this year, but still managed to include some fun egg dying, some easter egg hunts, and the worst deviled eggs ever.

planning: some new pieces to go on our walls. Hopefully these projects will get done soon and I’ll be able to share them on the blog.

getting: out of the house! This week has included trips outside the house to go to church, the playground, a friend’s house, the grocery store, and the mall. Not to mention a few walks! That’s some major activity for this family of homebodies. What’s even more impressive is that at least a few of those outings involved me going out with both children at once! Without my husband to help me! It has given me the sliver of confidence I needed to attempt that more often. Maybe one day we’ll go to the library, or Target, or (super excited about this one!) Hobby Lobby!

I hope your spring has sprung and you are soaking it in! Enjoy!
Links for you

March 24, 2015

It’s been a while since I’ve shared some links from the internet. I haven’t decided how much of a link sharing blog I want to be or how to best fit it in with everything else I write. But I have several good ones that I’ve been sitting on for a while now and I want to share them with you. So here it goes:

The biggest thing separating people from their artistic ambitions…

I have no ambitions to write a novel, but I do have lots of other creative goals. I think the point about deadlines is so true. I made a lot stuff for work – because I had to get things done for certain events by a certain time. At home, things just languish. How can I give myself more deadlines, without feeling artificial or stressing myself out?

Free Project Life Journal Cards

This is a really cute collection of journaling cards for your Project Life album. Just download and print out!

Water Color Pencil Palette

This is such a good idea for taking painting on the go. I’d really love to try it out someday. I didn’t even know water color pencils were a thing!

To Reuse this Notebook, Pop it in the Microwave

What?!?!

It Goes So Fast (Not a Parenting Essay)

Oh, man. I can already feel this as I’m just beginning my 30s. How in the world did I ever reach such a grown-up sounding age?

And just for fun…

Comedy Character Tournament of Champions

My final four? Liz Lemon, Leslie Knope, Dwight Shrute, and Kenneth Parcel. From there I really can’t choose.
These Days // 12

March 13, 2015

It’s another Friday! Here’s what’s been happening these days:

loving: the first signs of spring! I went outside without a coat today. There are tiny green shoots sticking out of the dirt. The snow has finally melted away. And the daylight has been saved. I really hope spring sticks around.

bouncing: my baby on my knee. She loves it and it makes her smile.

celebrating: Charlie’s birthday. Still! We had family in last weekend for a little birthday party. I love seeing how much Charlie is loved by his family.

making: more pages in my photo album. Be looking for more posts about that soon.

thanking: God for the wonderful community of support we have around us. We had Charlie and Penelope dedicated in church on Sunday and it was such a reminder of how much God has blessed us with friends and family to help our children realize the full and wonderful life God has for them.

Enjoy your weekend! Hopefully it acts spring-like for you too!

Letter Activities

2015 Reading Challenge Reviews

The Journey

The cake

The activities

The Caveat